Daraine Luton, Staff Reporter
Colleen Wint-Smith (left), project coordinator of Parenting Partners Caribbean, and Janet Brown, the organisation's treasurer, look over a copy of the 2006 revised edition of 'Pathways to Parenting: A Caribbean Approach', at the parenting guide's launch at Alhambra Inn, Mountain View, St. Andrew, on Wednesday. - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer
PARENTING MAY soon get easier, thanks to a new facilitator's guide parenting manual that was launched on Wednesday at Alhambra Inn in St. Andrew.
The manual, compiled and published by Parenting Partners Caribbean, is a revised edition of the 1993 version.
The Caribbean contextualised 32-session book covers almost every thinkable topic that can help parents more easily relate to their children. The manual is available to facilitators at a cost of $4,000 and may be purchased at 17 St. Lucia Avenue, New Kingston.
Welcome work
Among the issues addressed in the manual are stress and financial management while bringing up a child. The manual also speaks to gender issues in the family and has chapters on the promotion of self-esteem and developing morals among children.
Bertrand Bainvel of the United Nations Children Fund, one of the funders of the project, heaped praises on Parenting Partners for the work.
"It addresses the particular needs along the critical phases of development throughout childhood from zero to 18," Mr. Bainvel said.
Policies on parenting
Maureen Samms-Vaughn, executive chairman of the Early Child-hood Commission, said the manual will be utilised by the commission in developing policies on parenting.
"Parenting Partners will provide us with the material to help us to ensure that we don't do haphazard training. If we think that parenting is a basic for human development, we cannot have a haphazard approach to parenting," Mrs. Samms-Vaughn said.
The numerous other interest groups and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) all describe the work as positive. Among them were the Coalition for Better Parenting, Social Welfare Training centre and RISE Life Management Services.
Children's Advocate Mary Clarke, who chaired the launch, was also impressed with the manual. Though Lincoln Williams of the Social Welfare Training centre felt the manual was three decades late, Ms. Clarke was convinced that it would help persons to be better parents.
Meanwhile, Ms. Clarke has called for the establishment of hotlines to help families deal with various challenges. "There needs to be a number where families in crisis can call 24/7 ... We have some (hotlines) now but they are not enough and they are not manned 24/7," Ms. Clarke said.
